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  • the largest and newest Canadian territory, established April 1, 1999
  • makes up 20% of Canada’s land area
  • territorial capital Iqaluit
  • territorial bird Rock Ptarmigan
  • territorial flower Arctic Poppy
  • in the Central Time Zone; is the same as Ottawa, ON in the winter (October to April), and in the summer (April to October) it’s the same as Winnipeg, MB

Nunavut is north of Manitoba and east of Hudson’s Bay, and is made up of the central and eastern portions of the former Northwest Territories. It shares a tiny land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on the east. It also shares aquatic borders with the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and the country of Greenland.

Canada’s newest territory, the word Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut, the Inuit language. Nunavut covers about two million square kilometres of land and water in northern Canada, including part of the mainland, most of the Arctic Archipelago, and all of the islands in Hudson Bay, James Bay and Ungava Bay. The territory makes up 1/5 of Canada’s land base.

Geography – Nunavut is a land of rock, snow, ice, and sea. Like Canada’s other territories, it can be divided into two broad geographical regions – the boreal forest in the south and the Arctic tundra in the north.

Iqaluit (on Baffin Island) was chosen capital of Nunavut in 1995. It is the largest community in Nunavut with a population of 4,500 (17% of the population) and is located approximately 2,000 kilometres from Ottawa, Ontario.

Climate – The average temperature in January is -30°C and in July is +15°C. Iqaluit, the capital, experiences 24 hours of daylight per day in June, and six hours per day in December.

National Parks – Nunavut Canada has four large national parks. Auyuittuq Park is located on southern Baffin Island in the Arctic, and Sirmilik National Park is located on the northern part of the island. Ukkusiksalik National Park is on the northwest coast of Hudson’s Bay on the mainland. Quttinirpaaq is the most remote northern park in North America, and accessible only by charter aircraft.